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Priest Beard and Hair

johannessolomonjohannessolomon
edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church
Hey uhh. long time no talk guys.
i havent been on tasbeha.org for a long time...for about 3 years.
well i come back to ask a simple question about priests

alright. in church i was taught that a priest can't cut his beard because it symbolizes that he gave up his life to God. and that there r more important things. If this is true then why does a priest cut the hair on his head but not his beard...?


Thanks for the help.

~~Johannes

Comments

  • johannessolomonjohannessolomon
    ummm....someone? answer...
  • jsangel_23
    im sorry that i dont have an answer but thats an interesting q and id like to know too!

    welcome back!

    God bless and plz pray 4me!  :D
  • markos123markos123
    I think because long hair is for women. No need for a priest to do this.

    GB
  • jydeaconjydeacon
    thats not true, HH Pope Kyrollos had long hair and never cut it, i personally don't know why but i know many have not cut there hair
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    because that would be to extreme. do you kno how hard is it to just keep your hair grow. also also don't forget that priests are those who live in the world to keep the faithful.....they have to be part of the world, and i don't think growing hair will show the best expression.
  • EnoughEnough
    if u think about it... a guy needs to shave at least once everyday cause the hair grows back so that takes quite a long time from an abouna's time... but to get a haircut... thats like once a month or something... so its not a big deal, it soesnt take up too much time, at the same time, it just makes it easier for them and its a lot lighter on their heads lol :P
  • Christforlife7Christforlife7
    I remember my priest in NY spoke about this. He was talking about how traditional our church was and that it was from the time of the apostles. The priest keep their beards long to keep the tradition of the apostles, but since they are priests who live in the public world, they cut their hair, to remain in a way "presentable" to society. A man having long hair isn't very respectable and it says in Corthians somewhere that it is unhonorable for a man to show his long hair, or something like that if i remember correctly so yea. GB
  • andrew8345andrew8345
    The quote I believe you are speaking about Tishori is "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?" Corinthians 11:14. This section in the book of Corinthians is interesting by itself, the whole issue of head coverings, etc. I do not really understand it and wonder if St. Paul actually meant for this tradition of women covering there heads to continue, I beleive it was just applicable to that time period and does not really relate to today's world. But then again the whole Coptic faith is based on tradition.

    God Bless,
    Andrew
  • Christforlife7Christforlife7
    Yes thanks the verse I was looking for. Umm i think that when in church all those with a "crown" should cover their heads. If you notice, priests always (or should) have that little cap on, covering their "crown" and giving God the glory for the priesthood. Umm and women have a crown, which is their head which should be covered when standing in front of God since he is the Almighty, and standing without a head covering over the hair would be sort of dishonorable towards Christ. GB =D
  • abosefienabosefien
    [quote author=jydeacon link=topic=6002.msg80116#msg80116 date=1197157353]
    thats not true, HH Pope Kyrollos had long hair and never cut it, i personally don't know why but i know many have not cut there hair


    Well jydeacon, the reason H.H. Pope Kyrillos VI and H.H. Pope Shenouda III, and all the other popes, and the monks, don't cut their hair is because when you become a monk or a bishop or a pope, without marriage, you resemble Samson, which means that you took a Nazarite vow. The Nazarite vow is where you don't cut your hair. If you're familiar with the story, you would remember that the strength that Samson had was from his hair which he never cut.

    In Christ,
    abosefien
  • jydeaconjydeacon
    Thanks abosefein that makes sense and i do remember the story but i was not aware the make a nazarite vow thanks for sharing that
  • gregorytheSinnergregorytheSinner
    a note about the monks:
    monks are not required to grow their hair out, infact many of them get their hair cut.  the growing of hair as was metnioend before resembles a nazaritic vow.  but its also a personal thing, i personally know a bishop who gets his hair cut all the time (but im guessin he does it himself).  also monks/bishops who grow their hair out tend to grow it for certain reasons such as bodily discomfort.  last thing a person who lives in the desert wants is long itchy hair under his consolia (skull cap). 
    so hair growing is something optional to monks, evne tho most i believe do it including our Pope hismelf
  • Anglican
    This is I think, a custom rather than a rule, but has long been practised in the Church. Of course one could hardly insist on priests having long hair - bald men would be at a considerable disadvantage! ;)

    In Christ,

    Anglian
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    [quote author=Anglian link=topic=6002.msg80145#msg80145 date=1197239521]
    This is I think, a custom rather than a rule, but has long been practised in the Church. Of course one could hardly insist on priests having long hair - bald men would be at a considerable disadvantage! ;)

    lol.....actually i ave seen priests who don't have a beard
  • LifeinChristLifeinChrist
    priests grow out their beards because its a symbol from the old testament. Any man of God grew out their beard in the old testament. Priests are men of God. That is the reason for the beard. Monks have 2 options for their hair. Cut it off completely. Or let it grow out completely. There is nothing else. Those are the reason for the beards on all Clergy and thats what monks do with their hair. I believe those are the only reasons for a priest though.
  • socoolbishoysocoolbishoy
    as many monks grow their hair... well not really the right statement... the right statement is, they don't touch it with a razor.... so do priests... but with culture and all that good stuff... the priest now can cut his hair... and also trim his beard... but in reality... and the core of it... nor priest, or monks... or anyone in priesthood should touch their beard, nor their head hair... yet recently its a vow... and only if you take it... does it mean that you do that!
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    [quote author=SuperMAN(BAM) link=topic=6002.msg80158#msg80158 date=1197260256]
    as many monks grow their hair... well not really the right statement... the right statement is, they don't touch it with a razor.... so do priests... but with culture and all that good stuff... the priest now can cut his hair... and also trim his beard... but in reality... and the core of it... nor priest, or monks... or anyone in priesthood should touch their beard, nor their head hair... yet recently its a vow... and only if you take it... does it mean that you do that!


    can you clearfy a little please....hard to uderstand with all the dots......
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